6 Step Process 1) Limit the Subject - more and more specific
For example: Effects of Islamic culture on West - TOO BROAD
could involve:
religious effects
political effects
social effects
cultural effects
The writer would need to pick 1 of these areas and make it more specific.
2) Determine Purpose and Audience
Purpose: Why you are writing
For example:
to show or illustrate by example (Example Paper)
to explain causes or effects (Cause/Effect Paper)
to persuade someone (Persuasive Paper)
Audience: Who you are writing to
(which will determine how you write - language you use, etc.)
For example:
instructor and classmates (for class paper)- use best vocabulary, etc.
children (for a children's book) - would need to use smaller words, pictures, etc.
doctor to other doctors - can use formal medical terms
doctor to a patient - would need to use more common speech word instead of formal medical term
3) Write a Thesis Statement - a 1-sentence summary of the main point of your essay
(topic is not the thesis - you have to express an opinion or attitude toward the topic - something to defend)
For example:
Thesis statement: George Washington was the first President of the United States.
(not a good thesis - simply states a fact)
Thesis statement: George Washington was the most influential President in American history.
(a good thesis - gives writer an opinion to defend--someone else, for example, might say that Abraham Lincoln or Thomas Jefferson was the most influential, etc.)
4) Prewrite - steps to gather ideas before writing
brainstorm - list ideas
discuss ideas - with classmate, spouse, friend, etc.
journal - especially good if your paper relates to a personal topic
freewrite - writing nonstop for 10-15 minutes
visual strategy - a more organized form of brainstorming using circles and lines (see example in textbook)
research in library - most helpful for papers in which you will cite outside sources
5) Organize Ideas - outline
informal outline - (see student example in textbook)
formal outline - using Roman numerals (see example in textbook)
6) Write Drafts
rough draft - could be one or several
final copy - after making corrections from rough draft, etc.
1) Limit the Subject - more and more specific
For example: Effects of Islamic culture on West - TOO BROAD
could involve:
religious effects
political effects
social effects
cultural effects
The writer would need to pick 1 of these areas and make it more specific.
2) Determine Purpose and Audience
Purpose: Why you are writing
For example:
to show or illustrate by example (Example Paper)
to explain causes or effects (Cause/Effect Paper)
to persuade someone (Persuasive Paper)
Audience: Who you are writing to
(which will determine how you write - language you use, etc.)
For example:
instructor and classmates (for class paper)- use best vocabulary, etc.
children (for a children's book) - would need to use smaller words, pictures, etc.
doctor to other doctors - can use formal medical terms
doctor to a patient - would need to use more common speech word instead of formal medical term
3) Write a Thesis Statement - a 1-sentence summary of the main point of your essay
(topic is not the thesis - you have to express an opinion or attitude toward the topic - something to defend)
For example:
Thesis statement: George Washington was the first President of the United States.
(not a good thesis - simply states a fact)
Thesis statement: George Washington was the most influential President in American history.
(a good thesis - gives writer an opinion to defend--someone else, for example, might say that Abraham Lincoln or Thomas Jefferson was the most influential, etc.)
4) Prewrite - steps to gather ideas before writing
brainstorm - list ideas
discuss ideas - with classmate, spouse, friend, etc.
journal - especially good if your paper relates to a personal topic
freewrite - writing nonstop for 10-15 minutes
visual strategy - a more organized form of brainstorming using circles and lines (see example in textbook)
research in library - most helpful for papers in which you will cite outside sources
5) Organize Ideas - outline
informal outline - (see student example in textbook)
formal outline - using Roman numerals (see example in textbook)
6) Write Drafts
rough draft - could be one or several
final copy - after making corrections from rough draft, etc.